
- UCAS course code
- FL87
- UCAS institution code
- M20
BSc Geography with International Study / Course details
Year of entry: 2023
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Course unit details:
Glaciers
Unit code | GEOG20352 |
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Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
Glacial and periglacial environments are of major importance for understanding and reconstructing modern and past climatic and environmental change. This course will examine glacial and periglacial processes in modern-day settings and show how this knowledge can be used to reconstruct past glacial and periglacial environments. Examples will be referenced from the British Isles and around the world.
Aims
The unit aims to: -
- Examine the role of glacial and periglacial processes in wider environmental change
- Evaluate processes leading to the development of glacial and periglacial landforms
- Explore approaches used to reconstruct past climate and environmental conditions from glacial and periglacial geomorphology -
- Consider the glacial history of the British Isles and beyond (including international examples) as a means of understanding present-day landscapes and resources.
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Glaciers and Climate
- Glacial erosion, transport and deposition
- Glacial geomorphological mapping
- Glacial reconstruction
- Fieldtrip
- Lowland glaciation
- Upland glaciation
- Periglaciation
- Conclusions
Teaching and learning methods
Total: 30 hours
3 : 2 Lecture : Non-lecture ratio
Lectures (18 hours)
Seminars (4 hours)
Field teaching (8 hours)
Knowledge and understanding
- Explain the significance of glacial and periglacial processes in global environmental change
- Evaluate the processes leading to the development of glacial and periglacial sediments and landforms
- Evaluate current understanding of the glacial history of the British Isles and elsewhere around the world
Intellectual skills
- Summarise the place of specialised glaciological knowledge within the wider context of global change
- Critically evaluate debates and arguments from academic literature
- Source and review examples and case studies from published work
Practical skills
- Show how a range of methodological techniques can be used to reconstruct changes in past environmental conditions from glacial and periglacial evidence
- Demonstrate an ability to reconstruct glaciers from the glacial geomorphological record
- Use glacial reconstruction techniques to determine changes in temperature and / or precipitation through time
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Demonstrate an ability to compile a clear and concise report on a practical exercise
- Develop written and visual presentation skills
- Employ basic spreadsheet datasets and formulae to manipulate numerical data
Assessment methods
SUMMATIVE ASSESSEMENT
Assessment Type Coursework
Exam | Length 2000 words
2 hours | Feedback Within 15 working days
Within 15 working days
| Weighting 33%
67% |
|
Formative Assessment Task | Length (word count/time) | How and when feedback is provided | Expected outcome of formative assessment |
Reconstruct a glacier and the climate conditions required to sustain that glacier
| 2 hours | In-person during seminar | An ability to map glacial geomorphology, reconstruct a glacier and its Equilibrium Line Altitude, and calculate past climatic conditions from that reconstruction.
An improved understanding of the steps required to complete the coursework assignment. |
Feedback methods
Feedback in a number of ways to help you to improve your future performance:
Interactive activities within lectures (oral, whole-class);
Regular surgeries in consultation hours (oral, one-to-one);
Brief comments on exam scripts (written, one-to-one);
Detailed comments on coursework essays (written, one-to-one) ;
Responding to issues raised through e-mail (electronic, one-to-one).
Recommended reading
Introductory texts (further reading provided each week of the course):
Benn & Evans (2010) Glaciers and glaciation. Arnold: London.
Bennett & Glasser (2009) Glacial geology: ice sheets and landforms. Chichester: Wiley.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Fieldwork | 8 |
Lectures | 18 |
Seminars | 4 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 170 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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Christopher Darvill | Unit coordinator |